“Competing Solutions to Keeping Peace in Africa”, a Conversation with Dr. Comfort Ero

On 5 September 2014 the United Nations University will host “Competing Solutions to Keeping Peace in Africa”, a conversation with Dr. Comfort Ero, Africa Program Director of the International Crisis Group. This event will start at 6:30 PM at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.

In recent years there has been a surge of interventions in Africa, including the deployment of new peace operations to resolve conflicts. Ending conflicts, however, has been complicated by increasingly divergent views among peacekeepers and peacemakers.

At one level are differences and competition among some African Union (AU) member states, and between regional and sub-regional bodies. At another level are the contrasting perspectives of continental and multilateral actors, including the United Nations. Political divisions, complicated by bureaucratic disputes, capacity deficits and jurisdictional struggles between the AU, its regions and international partners have slowed progress in resolving some crises.

Dr. Comfort Ero will join UNU Rector David M. Malone to discuss Africa’s current geopolitical landscape and its implications for realizing and maintaining peace. The conversation will examine the complexity of Africa’s peacekeeping actors and their actions, giving special attention to current crises in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Acknowledging the need to move from competing efforts to robust peacekeeping partnerships, Dr. Ero and Rector Malone will explore how collaborative solutions can promote each peace actor’s unique capabilities and ensure best practices of conflict prevention.

The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation: you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all audience members are invited to enjoy the food and drinks that will be served while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.

Please note that this event will be in English only; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration (by 4 September) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the registration page

About the speaker

Dr. Comfort Ero has been the Africa Program Director of the International Crisis Group (ICG) since January 2011. As Program Director, she oversees projects covering South, West, Central and the Horn of Africa. She previously worked with ICG as the West Africa Project Director from 2001–2004.

Dr. Ero holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, University of London.

Her areas of expertise include conflict prevention, management and resolution; mediation; peacekeeping; transitional justice; and politics and international relations of Africa.

From 1998–1999 Dr. Ero was a Research Associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. She held the position of Research Fellow from 1999–2001 with the Conflict, Security and Development Group at the Centre for Defence Studies, King’s College London. From 2004–2007 she served as the Political Affairs Officer and Policy Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the United Nations Mission in Liberia. This was followed by her position as the London Deputy Africa Program Director for the International Centre for Transitional Justice from 2008–2010.